In 2006, British Royal Prince Harry launched a charitable organization in honor of his late mother, Princess Diana, that was focused on helping children stricken with HIV/AIDS or in poverty in the Southern African nations of Lesotho and Botswana.

Now the Duke of Sussex and his co-founder, Lesotho's Prince Seeiso, along with the organization's board of trustees, have all resigned from the charity known as Sentebale, according to Fox News.

The mass resignations come amid a dispute with the chair of Sentebale's board, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, who resisted an effort by the board to oust her and instead filed a lawsuit and leveled damning accusations of wrongdoing against the two princes and other trustees.

The prince quit his own charity

In a joint statement, Princes Harry and Seeiso said, "Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers. Sentebale means 'forget-me-not' in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we’ve served through this charity."

"Today is no different. With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same," they continued. "It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation."

"These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the well-being of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship," the princes said. "We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act. What’s transpired is unthinkable."

"We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale’s beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about," they added. "Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care."

Former trustees reveal reason for resignations

Fox News reported that a joint statement was also released by the five British and African trustees who resigned from Sentebale's board -- Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Dr Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West -- who said it was a "difficult decision" but that they were "deeply proud" to have worked with the two princes who'd founded the charity in honor of their late mothers.

"For two decades, Sentebale has championed hundreds of thousands of children and young people, providing them with care, training, and life skills, which not only benefit each individual child they support, but their families and their communities as a whole," the former trustees said. "Today’s decision is nothing short of devastating for all of us, but we see no other path forward as the result of our loss in trust and confidence in the Chair of the board."

"Our priority has always been, and will always be, what’s in the best interest of the charity, and it’s desperately sad the breakdown in relationship escalated to a lawsuit by the Chair against the charity, to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected," they added. "We could not in good conscience allow Sentebale to undertake that legal and financial burden and have been left with no other option but to vacate our positions. This was not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity."

Chairwoman accuses Harry and others of alleged wrongdoing

According to the U.K.'s The Times, Dr. Chandauka fiercely resisted an effort launched last year to restructure and reorient the charity's mission, which included a request from the board for her resignation as the chair, which she has countered with a lawsuit and complaints about alleged wrongdoing by the co-founders and trustees, though she hasn't yet named specific names.

"Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organisation, its mission, and the young people we serve. My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means," Chandauka said in a statement. "There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct."

"Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the chair of the board report her own trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit?" she added. "Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is the story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir [misogyny directed towards black women], and the cover-up that ensued. I could be anyone."

CBS News reported that the U.K. Charity Commission acknowledged that it was "aware of concerns" raised by Chandauka and that "We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps."